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Felidae Behavior My name is Heather Alvey. I am a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant.

Over the next month, I’ll still be working—if Frankie allows it—but I’ll be taking a short break from social media.I’m c...
08/12/2025

Over the next month, I’ll still be working—if Frankie allows it—but I’ll be taking a short break from social media.

I’m continuing to support all current clients and I’m still accepting new clients during this time. Stepping back from posting simply gives me more space to slow down, reset, and be intentional about my work, so I can show up fully for the cats and families I support.

I’ll be back soon. Until then, Frankie will continue her very important role as my unofficial supervisor.

01/12/2025

When I adopted Frankie, I was super gun-ho and wanted to do ALL the training. Even though she is young and doesn't need medication, I did some pill training. After a time, I didn't keep up with it in lieu of working on more fun or useful behaviors. Fast forward to now where I found I needed to give her a one-time pill. It was formulated into a chewable treat AND she is food crazy, but I've seen cats reject these treats so I wanted to refersh her on pill training in preparation.
I did a few rounds of pill training and then held my breath when I subbed in the medication. Luckily she was so invested in the game, she didn't even notice and she inhaled the med.
Knowing some techniques like this can make the process of medicating your cat an easy and positive experience for everyone!
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Thanksgiving can be overwhelming for many cats—extra people, noise, and changes in routine. One of the simplest ways to ...
24/11/2025

Thanksgiving can be overwhelming for many cats—extra people, noise, and changes in routine. One of the simplest ways to help is to give your cat access to a safe, quiet space where they can retreat on their own terms.

High perches are especially helpful because they offer distance, safety, and control. Cats can still be social and feel safe at the same time in common spaces. Frankie loves having a spot like this when she needs to feel safe, and your cat might appreciate the same option during the holidays.

Wishing everyone (and their cats) a calm, comfortable Thanksgiving week.

04/11/2025

Training complex behaviors can feel overwhelming—sometimes so much that it’s hard to know where to start. That’s exactly where I am right now.

Frankie doesn’t have any major behavioral issues, but recently SOMEONE (not me) used food to win her affection. It worked a little too well, and now she’s become pretty obnoxious around food—especially with that person.

To help with this, I’m working on stationing and rewarding calm, quiet behavior. I know it’ll take time, so I’m focusing on patience and small steps. Progress over perfection.

These are 2 videos from the same session. She starts out very meowy. As I mark her quiet behavior and increase the duration, she settles down.

Clicker training is great for teaching silly tricks and for daily enrichment and bonding. It’s also my go-to method for ...
27/10/2025

Clicker training is great for teaching silly tricks and for daily enrichment and bonding. It’s also my go-to method for working on problem or annoying behaviors.

Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming to think through all the steps needed to reach that final behavior. There have been things I’ve wanted to work on with Frankie, but when I start thinking about how much effort it might take, I end up putting it off—while her unwanted behavior gets worse.

Here are a few tips for those situations:

Just start. If you’re not sure exactly how to get the behavior you want, begin where you think you should and adjust as you go. You’ll get feedback from your cat that helps guide you.

Write it out (in pencil). I like to write down the behavior I’m working toward and the steps I think I’ll need to get there. You’ll probably need to adjust the plan based on your cat’s feedback—hence, the pencil! I love this method because I’m a list person, and it’s so satisfying to see our progress and cross off the steps as we go.

The important thing is to start somewhere. Progress, no matter how small, still moves you closer to your goal—and your cat will appreciate the extra time spent working and learning together.

Frankie and I are going to be doing some traveling together in December, and I realized she isn’t quite ready for the tr...
13/10/2025

Frankie and I are going to be doing some traveling together in December, and I realized she isn’t quite ready for the trip in her carrier. I’ll admit—I haven’t taken my own advice about carrier training. Our vet comes to us, and Frankie isn’t a cat who likes beds or boxes, so the carrier isn't something I think about very often.

Since we still have plenty of time before the trip, the carrier now stays out all the time. I’ve started by randomly putting treats and silvervine or catnip inside while the top is open to create positive associations. After just a few days, I’ve found her sitting inside a couple of times—I couldn’t have been more surprised!

We’ll keep building on those positive experiences, then move on to closing the top of the carrier, followed by short periods with the door closed, gradually increasing the duration.

Carrier training is beneficial for every cat. It’s an individual process that can take time—and sometimes a bit of creativity—but it makes travel and vet visits much less stressful for both you and your cat.

I’ve been working professionally in the cat world for over 20 years, so I like to think I stay on top of all things cat ...
29/09/2025

I’ve been working professionally in the cat world for over 20 years, so I like to think I stay on top of all things cat in pop culture. But somehow I completely missed the 2019 Japanese film Island of Cats until last week. I watched it this weekend, and now I’m wondering—was I the only one who didn’t know about this movie?

The film is cozy, joyful, and at times heartbreaking—it even made me cry for the first time in a while. One of my favorite parts was that the cats were real cats, not CGI. It was filmed on an island with a resident cat population, so while the lead cats were trained professionals (using positive reinforcement), there were also endless shots of cats simply being cats. The star cat, Tama, is unforgettable.

It’s clear this movie was made with patience and genuine care for both the professional cats and the island cats. If you’re a cat lover, I can’t recommend it enough—just be sure to have tissues nearby when you watch.

This is the only real “mistake” you can make in training.When you start clicker training, timing and technique do matter...
15/09/2025

This is the only real “mistake” you can make in training.

When you start clicker training, timing and technique do matter—but I find many of my clients get anxious about it. They worry about clicking at the wrong moment, reinforcing the wrong behavior, or somehow “breaking” their cat. The truth is, an accidental click won’t cause permanent damage to your cat’s behavior. Cats are flexible learners, and you can always adjust as you go.

The biggest error? Dropping a blob of Churu on their face while trying to teach them to stand up.

Have you had any funny training mishaps with your cat? I’d love to hear your stories.

How much does your cat really sleep?When I meet with clients, I always ask how their cats spend their days. So often I h...
08/09/2025

How much does your cat really sleep?

When I meet with clients, I always ask how their cats spend their days. So often I hear, “Oh, they just sleep all day.” Usually this is said as a way of explaining why their cat doesn’t seem interested in play or other activities.

Yes, cats are champion nappers, but in the wild they wouldn’t be snoozing all day long. They’d be exploring, climbing, hunting, and using their brains and bodies in different ways. When a cat sleeps excessively indoors, it’s often not because they need the sleep—it’s because they’re bored.

Boredom can lead to a variety of behavior issues, from attention-seeking to destructive habits. If your cat is sleeping through most of the day, chances are they need more opportunities to be awake, engaged, and enriched.

I always say: a busy, tired cat is a well-behaved cat.

If your cat is struggling with boredom or behavior challenges, I’d love to help. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

25/08/2025

I’ll admit it—I haven’t kept up with Frankie’s clicker training lately. We started agility months ago, but between moving, projects, and life in general, her training took a backseat.

This weekend, some plans got canceled, and I actually found myself with free time (and a little bored). I decided to see what Frankie remembered and where we could pick things back up. I planned to start simple with her tunnel, but she breezed right through it—so I added the stool and even her skateboard.

She did amazing! Watching how much she enjoyed the session (and how deeply she napped afterward) made me feel a little guilty for letting it slide, but it also reminded me how much fun this is for both of us.

Her jumping pole didn’t survive the move, so I need to rebuild that. And someone in my previous post suggested adding a slide! I still have a couple of ramps from the Boomer and Impy days, so I think new elements will keep things exciting for Frankie—and motivating for me too.

I just spent a week and a half traveling the Ecuadorian coast by bike and bus. I expected to see a lot of stray animals,...
18/08/2025

I just spent a week and a half traveling the Ecuadorian coast by bike and bus. I expected to see a lot of stray animals, but what surprised me was how many cats were clearly loved and cared for. Almost every hotel or restaurant I stopped at seemed to have a resident cat.

Of course, there were feral cats too, and a couple in particular were hard to say goodbye to. I picked up cat food along the way so I could make sure a few had at least one easy meal.

Cats were everywhere—some healthy and cared for, others just scraping by. Seeing all the cats made me appreciate both how resilient they are that, while they can survive without us, their lives can be greatly improved the people around them.

Generally, I recommend rotating your cat’s toys to keep things fresh and exciting. But there’s always an exception: the ...
28/07/2025

Generally, I recommend rotating your cat’s toys to keep things fresh and exciting. But there’s always an exception: the favorite toy. You know the one—your cat’s OBSESSION. The toy you and your cat both panic about when it goes missing or starts falling apart.

For Frankie, it’s her pink mouse. (Pink mouse is the best mouse.) She carries it around, throws it in the air, and somehow it always ends up under the couch. I don’t rotate this toy out. It stays available because it brings her so much joy.

When a toy becomes a source of comfort or a treasured possession, it earns a permanent spot in the toy lineup.

Toys and play are such individual preferences. One cat’s paper ball is another cat’s pink mouse. In my latest blog post, I ramble on a bit about cats, toys, and playtime. Check it out on my website—link’s in the bio.

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